Arowana sick! Help plz! (2nd post, just found this area)

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nohandslook

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 14, 2009
39
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San Diego, CA
I have a about 6 inch arowana in a 29G growout tank. Since yesterday my arowana has lost his appetite. He also has been breathing rapidly. He opens and closes his mouth while slowly swiming around the tank. Sometimes he lays on the bottom of the tank for a few minutes at a time. I suspect that the feeder goldfish I gave him as a snack perhaps may have done damage to him.

My water conditions are as follows

temp - 82F, 28C (raised from usual 80F 26.6C)

Ammonia - <.25ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - 40ppm
PH - 7.2
Water test kit used - API

I currently have tried to treat this with a 30% water change, bumped up the temperature 2 degrees F, added Aquairum salt and Stress Zyme.

His tankmate, a small RTC is having simliar symptoms. The tank has been setup for 5 months. I change the water/vacuum the gravel weekly. There are no live plants nor any direct sunlight. The filter is aquaclear (for a 55G)

PLZ any other suggestions would be helpful, I would be happy to supply you with more information!
 
-gaspin for air (aro opening + closing mouth is it tryin gaspin for air)

-laying on the bottom, lethagic

-lost of appetite

all signs of ammonia poisoning buddy,

do a 50% wc, air pump, put in amquel plus

ammonia should always be 0.0 in an established tank

gl hope ur aro + rtc make it...
 
UPDATE this morning, aro breathing a bit better after WC, still gasping, but not as bad. he swims with the back end of his body bent towards the side, and it kinda seems like it floats up and down

@EGBD - water has been good for about 5 months. the test kit on ammonia showed up pretty darn low. Wasn't quite at 0 but pretty darn close that's why i put <.25ppm. I put ammo-lock as that's all I currently have, would that be alright or should I go grab the amquel also?
 
bump! still need help
 
You really need to upgrade the filtration, even in grow out you have two messy fish fish(food wise). The tank is pretty small for a grow out for these(no offense, I grow out big fish in small tanks as well) but you need to add filtration that can handle aggressive feeding during this time.


Have you added any air to help dissolve O2?

Ammonia should be zero with a correct setup especially after 5 months if not your filter/s are not up the task in hand.

Good luck, let us know how it goes
 
Was the .25ppm ammonia reading before or after the WC. Sounds like ammonia poisioning. 29 gallons is not alot of water and can quickly become polluted.

Can you get the fish into a larger tank?
 
@yan The ammonia reading was barely slightly not at 0, it wasn't quite at .25 ppm, therefore i put <.25ppm. I added another airstone to help oxygenate. Its been a day since the WC, is it time to do another one? Wouldn't it of helped by now ?

@bde This reading was after the WC. I found it pretty odd that after all that time with the ammonia being at 0 that it could of somehow started spiking. They will be moving into their new 180g home, but hoped they could hang in there for about another month so I could get everything set up.
 
nohandslook;3580209; said:
@yan The ammonia reading was barely slightly not at 0, it wasn't quite at .25 ppm, therefore i put <.25ppm. I added another airstone to help oxygenate. Its been a day since the WC, is it time to do another one? Wouldn't it of helped by now ?

@bde This reading was after the WC. I found it pretty odd that after all that time with the ammonia being at 0 that it could of somehow started spiking. They will be moving into their new 180g home, but hoped they could hang in there for about another month so I could get everything set up.
Click to expand...

So then I presume the nitrate level is after the WC also. 40 ppm nitrate is pretty high, and it was even higher before the WC, probably above 60ppm and there are trace amounts of ammonia in the tank. IMO the fish are out growing the filtration, along with the tank. Another thing could be with that much biological activity in that tank the pH could also be dropping rapidly. Do you test pH and kH?

If it were me and I could not move to a larger tank, then I'd be doing a 50% WC every 3-4 days.
 
Tragedy has struck. Upon coming home from work, My arowana passed away. =[ I dug him a grave in the backyard and said my goodbye. Ill miss ya buddy!
 
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